Ejection problem / .357 ammo

[BruceRDucer]

With a Ruger GP100 .357 revolver, I've been shooting Winchester .357 ammo in 110 grain Jacketed Hollow Point (JHP) and .38 with no problems.

But a more expensive brand, Blazer .357 in 158 grain JHP caused a problem.

Demonstrating the gun to someone, I put six rounds of Blazer in the cylinder, and the ejection rod COULD NOT eject the rounds. I had to pull them out one by one (unfired).

Blazer Ammo looks like the casing is made of aluminum or some alloy. What would make this unfired ammo STICK in the cylinder when I want to unload it unfired? Why could the ejection rod not push it out?

 

[The Bushmaster]

You have been shooting the shorter 110 grain .357 magnum bullets and the really shorter cased .38 Special rounds and the chambers in the cylinder are crudded up with carbon causing the longer 158 grain rounds to stick or jam on that crud...Scrupulasly clean the chambers and try again...Especially the forcing cone end of the chambers.

Yup...Aluminum cases...

 

[Brian Williams]

Shooting 38s in a 357 leaves a nice ring of crud where the 357 likes to be, make sure you clean the cylinders very well before you shoot any 357s I like to use a fired 357 case that has been belled slightly with a reloading expander die to cut the crud out. Also are the Blazers aluminum or brass?

A bore snake or a bore brush once or twice thru each cylinder is not enough.

 

[foghornl]

It you have Blazer ammo that is sort of a silver or grey colored case, yeppers...it is Aluminum.

The Blazer aluminim was a bit 'sticky' in my .357 Vaquero untill I really cleaned the cylinder, and then followed that with a bit of Flitz! polish on one of those woll 'mops' , chucked up in a low-speed (Battery power) drill.

 

[GP100man]

you`ve got cyl crud!!!!

the shorter 38spl have built a ring of carbon & some bullet CRUD!!!in that space that isnt filled with casing

do a search ,this is a long time issue with shootin 38s in a 357magnum cyl.
advanced warnin : the crud will come out & no you won`t have to destory the revolver doin it !!!!!it will make you :banghead::banghead: though

i don`t shoot 38s in my 357s no mo !!
i have 38spl revolvers to do that with.

GP100man

 

[The Bushmaster]

Well...I guess the vote is in...You've got cylinder crud...

 

[ZeSpectre]

What others have said. I once bought an old Security Six that had a lot of .38 through it. Had to use a lewis lead remover to break the crud and get it out of the front of the cylinder chambers so I could chamber .357 rounds.

 

[Princi]

I've used the case from a "357 Maximum" to scrape out the crud. I've used the Lewis Lead Remover with some success. There is also "Lead Remover Cloth" that cut into 1" squares work well after the majority of the crud has been removed.

I stay away from Blazer ammo. The extra money I spent on ammo buys me peace of mind.

 

[Moonclip]

Clean the chambers GOOD! And Blazers cost you more then Winchester?

 

[Drail]

Soak the cylinder in your favorite powder solvent. Under a good light source take a piece of copper wire and use it to break loose the CRUD and brush it away. Repeat as necessary. It helps to get the CRUD out while the gun is still warm at the range it possible. Keep a brush in your range bag. The longer that stuff sits in there the more work it will take to get it off.

 

[TAC]

"But a more expensive brand, Blazer .357 in 158 grain JHP caused a problem."

If you call Blazer's "a more expensive brand", what were you shooting before, reloads? Blazer is one of the cheapest around.

 

[pbearperry]

Your problem is most likely the Blazer ammo.It has a tendency to stick after being fired.I have an old Ruger 44 mag carbine that works flawlessly with everything I put in it,but it will not eject Blazer emptys.They always stick.

 

[Quoheleth]

FWIW, I love shooting Blazer 158 .357 out of my GP161. Inexpensive (but unreloadable) and accurate, relatively mild .357 loads, and accurate to boot.

I would buy them again in a heartbeat if they are on sale. Fortunately, I now reload so I don't have to wait for a sale

Q